Whitnash cyclist is aiming to raise thousands in memory of his friends

A Whitnash cyclist has covered the equivalent of almost 200 miles in two days as part of his ongoing fundraising campaign in memory of two friends.

Father-of-three Simon Storey raised £338 by cycling on rollers at the Royal Priors shopping centre in Leamington from 8.30am to 5pm on Saturday January 23 and 10.30am to 4pm on Sunday January 24.

The money will go towards his overall goal of raising £10,000 for Cardiomyopathy UK in memory of his friend Lawrence Sherriffs, 41, who died in 2013.

Mr Storey said: “Loz was a keen rugby player, playing for Old Laurentians RFC in Rugby and also the Prison Service. He had just finished playing a game when he died.

“It was later found out that Loz died from a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which basically means the heart muscle thickens and stiffens, it is quite common in sporty people and Cardiomyopathy UK helps support people with conditions like this, they also educate people for what signs too look out for.”

Mr Storey has already raised £18,000 for charities by completing The Great North Run and London Marathon, cycling from London to Paris and also cycling from coast to coast at the thinnest, widest and longest points of Great Britain.

His latest effort will involve him and seven others taking part in the Big Five Cycle Challenge of Great Britain and Ireland where they will visit each country’s capital city and cover 650 miles in five days.

Mr Storey said: “We are also riding in memory of Kate Vanloo, who died in a cycling accident last month. Kate was part of my team that completed the John o Groats to Land’s End ride in 2014 helping to raise over £10,000 for the children’s charity When You Wish Upon a Star.”